Smartphone manufacturers are now clued into the fact that they must play a role in protecting the environmental. Many now offer recycling programs that allow their customers to dispose of their devices in a variety of environmentally responsible ways. Manufacturers like BlackBerry, for example, are also trying to reduce the amount of electronic waste by designing environmentally-friendly smartphones – if you’ve recently bought a BlackBerry 10 smartphone, you may have noticed the new eco-friendly packaging. There are many more informative and educative eco-friendly apps, too that are designed to encourage green behaviour among consumers.
If you’re a BlackBerry user who is trying to lead a green life, or you need help and information to be more environmentally-friendly here are a few apps that will provide you with green tips, and keep you updated on the latest environmental news.
(1) I Charge Cool
I Charge Cool gives allows you to view the charging status of your BlackBerry on the full screen, without you having to walk over to your smartphone to read its tiny battery indicator. While your smartphone is plugged in, the “animonitor” starts automatically (or can be activated manually) and illuminates the whole screen, showing the battery charging status by colour gradation and by displaying a numerical percentage of battery charged. Your LED notifications for incoming messages are visible and unaffected. There are “bouncers” that cross the screen when the battery is fully charged. The optimized display automatically disappears when you unplug your smartphone. Another cool feature is the “thermoflashers” that notify you of an increase in battery temperature to prevent damage from overheating, and let you know if it is too cold for safe charging.
(2) Battery Saver by iamgreen
Prolong your battery life with this green energy battery saving app. ‘Battery Saver’ allows you to adjust the settings of your BlackBerry to conserve energy. Battery Saver also allows you to control the power settings from a single screen. You can set energy profiles for home, office, or car use. The app gives you a heightened awareness of your behaviour and the way in which this affects your carbon footprint. A great extra bonus is Battery Saver’s daily green news and tips.
(3) Green and Carbon Calculator
Green and Carbon Calculator is an easy, user-friendly app that helps to you to lead a more environmentally friendly lifestyle and save money on energy costs. It is designed so that you can calculate your CO₂ emissions. If you want to calculate your car emissions from home to the supermarket, for example, simply enter the total distance you estimate you have travelled over the past 3 to 12 months. If you are a frequent flyer, you can also use this app to calculate CO₂ emissions – for example the distance travelled from Sydney to Brisbane. In addition, Green and Carbon Calculator means you can monitor the energy consumption of your daily household appliances and heating systems. Determining the amount of energy that you consume will help you to become more environmentally conscious – the app provides a range of useful tips.
(4) Green Living Guide
The Green Living Guide app offers many cool tips on how to live a greener, environmentally-friendly lifestyle. If you are looking for solutions for sustainable green living, then check out the Green Living Guide – it covers a variety of topics, including conservation, recycling, reuse and transportation.
(5) Green Machine
If you are looking for a tool to measure your individual or business environmental footprint, Green Machine is a great app for both home and work. To find out your environmental savings, simply enter the weight of your recyclables, like scrap metal, recycled cardboard, paper, wood, or plastic. Green Machine will provide a report of your recycling effort in terms of number of mature trees, KW Hrs of electricity, landfill airspace or gallons of oil, water and gasoline saved.
